Bao Drama Study

Bao Zheng(999-1062),an official of the Northern Song Dynasty,is a household name for being honest and clean,enforcing the law strictly.His name has become synonymous with "upright officials".His image has been popular in Zaju of the Yuan Dynasty,legends of the Ming and Qing Dynasty,Modern Peking Operas and other local operas.And nowadays, Baogong Dramas have enjoyed a sustaining popularity with audiences of all ages and statuses. It is rare to name a drama with the main character in the play in China's drama history.Why do Baogong Dramas possess such an artistic appeal? What kind of thought implication, artistic value,and realistic significance do they have? This naturally arouses the attention of the academic circle and soon becomes a hot topic.Of course,there is also some divergence of views.In this thesis,I systematically study Baogong Dramas from different aspects of sociology,politics,culturology,and jurisprudence in a profound way,to grasp their thought implications and artistic appeals,and make them a historical judge for the flourishing and developing of socialist literature and art.This essay studies Baogong Dramas in Zaju of the Yuan Dynasty,legends of the Ming and Qing Dynasty,and Modern Peking Operas in nine chapters:Chapter One,"upright officials" living before Bao Zheng.In this chapter,I define the term "upright officials",analyze factors that contribute to the birth of "upright officials",and summarize characteristics of "upright officials" living before Bao Zheng.The appearance of "Baogong" is a necessary result of the continuity of history.Chapter Two,Bao Zheng's life.In this chapter,I outline Bao Zheng's life,which is the historical basis in the study of Baogong Dramas.Chaper Three,a textual research of Baogong Dramas.I make a thorough study of most Baogong Dramas since the Yuan Dynasty,and define the research scope of Baogong Dramas in this chapter.Chaper Four,image of Baogong in Baogong Dramas.In the long history of China,the image of Baogong in Baogong Dramas varies a lot in different periods.This is due to the fact that writers of different periods add their own likes,dislikes and aesthetic judgments to their works.Therefore,in this chapter,I mainly discuss different images of Baogong in Baogong Dramas from the Yuan Dynasty,the Ming Dynasty,to the Qing Dynasty,and the social cultural backgrounds to its development.Chaper Five,structure features ot" Baogong Dramas.The structure of dramas is a very important part in representing the writer's ideas of dramatic aesthetics,and is a significant component of dramas.Therefore,I concretely analyze structure features of Baogong Dramas from three aspects:introduction,plot and ending.Chapter Six,language features of Baogong Dramas.The universality of Chinese drama audiences and the complexity of drama-writers impact and,to some extent,determine language features of Chinese dramas.In this chapter,I analyze language features of Baogong Dramas from the aspects of Baogong's librettos,corrupt officials' librettos,and librettos of victims.Chapter Seven,Baogong Dramas and other literary works about Baogong.In the development,Baogong Dramas are influenced and restricted by politics,economy,and culture. At the same time,Baogong Dramas also learn from and influence other literary works about Baogong.Therefore,I mainly talk about the interaction between Baogong Dramas and other literary works about Baogong in this chapter.Chapter Eight,the cultural implication of Baogong Dramas.The birth and the spread of drama is a cultural phenomenon.In this chapter,I mainly discuss regional cultural features of Baogong Dramas and the relationship between Baogong Dramas and folk superstitious opinions.This thesis specifically analyzes regional cultural features of Baogong Dramas as an ethnic art form.Regional culture,a traditional part of culture which was well blended with the national character,has its vitality and its existence value.Compared with the political culture of a certain period,regional culture has its own advantages and seems to be more favored by Muse.Baogong Dramas are played all around China in different genres,which fully shows its regional culture.Chapter Nine,the influence of Baogong Dramas.I summarize the historical contribution, practical significance and aesthetic value of Baogong Dramas,I also discuss the prospects of the study of Baogong Dramas.The fundamental reason for the popularity of Baogong Dramas is in profound implications,deep artistic appeals,abundant cultural values and practical significance.Firstly,Baogong is the embodiment of justice.The image of Baogong has moved from the court to the folk society,from history to our present life,from reality to art,from ancient to modern times;it is creation of the common wills of the people,the revelation of common intentions,and the narration of the collective wishes.Nothing is more important than a normal and stable life in the eyes of common people.But it needs a forceful law and a forceful enforcer to maintain.In the minds of common Chinese people,Baogong represents the law, the troth and the humanity.Therefore,the value and the charm of Baogong will not crock up and the image of Baogong will not disappear as long as people's wishes for maintaining justice,doing good deeds and destroying the evil,and longing for fairness exist.Baogong Dramas will continue to appear on the stage.The study of Baogong Dramas is,therefore, forever significant.At the same time,Baogong Dramas also provide historic judges for "ruling the country by law" and "combating corruption and building a clean government".Baogong Dramas, Baogong's images,Baogong spirit,and Baogong culture provide historic judges for "ruling the country by law" and "combating corruption and building a clean government" not just in the cognitive significance.Nowadays,corruption has become a public hazard in many countries.We can't eliminate corruption with Baogong culture,however,we can,at least draw some spiritual power from it to arm ourselves against corruption.